Göpfelsteinhöhle

Useful Information

Location:	Unterstadt 3, 72519 Veringenstadt. B32 from Sigmaringen, exit Veringenstadt, turn right before the bridge at the Neanderthal monument, Bei der Lohmühle, to the cave information center. (48.1797889, 9.2098284)
Open:	No restrictions. [2025]
Fee:	free. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	A=660 m asl.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Thomas Rathgeber (2004): Die quartäre Tierwelt der Höhlen um Veringenstadt (Schwäbische Alb), Laichinger Höhlenfreund, Jg. 39, Nr. 1, S. 207-228, 9 Abb., 7 Tab.; Laichingen. pdf Thomas Rathgeber (2004): Zum Höhlenforschertreffen Speläo-Südwest 2004 in Veringenstadt - Eduard Peters vor der Göpfelsteinhöhl, Beiträge zur Höhlen- und Karstkunde in Südwestdeutschland, Nr. 44, S. 2, 3 Abb. auf der Umschlagseite; Stuttgart. pdf
Address:	Stadtverwaltung Veringenstadt, Im Städtle 116, 72519 Veringenstadt, Tel: +49-7577-930-0. E-mail: Manfred Saible, Panoramaweg 23, 72519 Veringenstadt, Cell: +49-171-7784542. E-mail: Rosemarie Elser, Im Städtle 115, 72519 Veringenstadt, Tel: +49-7577-7324, Cell: +49-152-36644037. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1909	First archaeological excavations in the Göpfelstein Cave by Robert Rudolf Schmidt from the Geological Institute of the University of Tübingen.
1934	Oberpostrat a. D. Eduard Peters finds Neanderthal remains in a 2-month trial excavation.
1935	Main excavation by Eduard Peters.
1971	designated as a culturally and historically valuable natural monument ND8437048 in the Mittlere Flächenalb nature reserve.

Description

The Göpfelsteinhöhle (Göpfel Rock Cave) is also called Göpfelberghöhle (Göpfel Mount Cave) because it is located in a limestone rock, a mountain spur that juts into the Lauchert valley from the west and is called Göpfelstein or Göpfelberg. The cave is in a very prominent location, overlooking a meander of the Lauchert in which Veringenstadt lies looking down to the historic center. The large portal in the striking rock can be seen from afar. Directly below the cave, the mountain spur is crossed by two tunnels, the Hohenzollerische Landesbahn railroad tunnel built in 1907 and the B32 road tunnel built in 1977. The cave can be reached via a 50-meter-long footpath from the Burgweg, which is running across the mountain spur.

The cave has a 3 m wide and 3 m high portal, followed by a passage that widens to 7 m. However, just a few meters from the entrance, the passage divides into two levels, the upper passage is 5 m high, the lower one only 1.20 m. The intermediate floor was only broken through after the Ice Age, before that only the lower passage was accessible. The sediments were covered by the collapsed ceiling and thus protected, but unfortunately not well enough. For centuries, the overhang of the Göpfelstein served as a shelter for flocks of sheep and the excrement was mined by the local population as fertilizer. The layers were disturbed in the process, and it was not possible to excavate cleanly separated cultural layers.

Archaeological research only began in 1909, much later than in the other caves of the Swabian Jura. Robert Rudolf Schmidt from the Geologisches Institut (Geological Institute) of the University of Tübingen dug in the Göpfelstein Cave. However, the upper sediment layers were the stones of the ceiling breakthrough, and so he abandoned his excavation without any finds or publications. Much more successful was Eduard Peters, a former senior postman, who made Neanderthal finds in a two-month trial excavation in 1934. This was the first time he confirmed the assumption of Karl Theodor Zingeler, who was head of the Princely Hohenzollern House and Domain Archives from 1891 to 1915. Zingeler had already publicly assumed in 1893 that Neanderthals had lived in Hohenzollern. Eduard Peters carried out a main excavation in 1935. He found a concentration of Neanderthal remains in a depression on the right-hand side of the cave. However, he did not publish his findings; there are only a few preliminary reports. One of the reasons for this was the political situation: he hated any kind of coercion and did not want to join the NSDAP and was therefore ostracized. In the following years, he investigated several caves in Veringenstadt.

He stored his finds in the town hall of Veringenstadt, but was worried about what would happen to them at the end of the war. To keep them safe, he brought them to the Hohenzollern state house in Sigmaringen. After the French troops marched into Sigmaringen in 1945, however, all the finds, files and excavation reports from 1941 to 1942 had disappeared. The reports from the excavation in the Göpfelstein cave in 1935 have also disappeared. It was never clarified where they had gone, and they were never found again. This was particularly annoying because Peters is famous for recording and describing his finds very precisely and meticulously, and he made drawings of the finds and the find situation. He also developed a method for sluicing out small finds, which until then had simply ended up on the heap. He was thus a pioneer for methods that every archaeologist had to use a few decades later.

Most of the finds that have not disappeared are now in the Heimatmuseum Veringenstadt (Veringenstadt local history museum). However, the museum is not open to the public and can only be visited during a guided tour of the town. These tours are offered by appointment by the town guides Manfred Saible and Rosemarie Elser, but only for groups. They include a visit to the local history museum, the mountain school and the Strübhaus.

The limestone of the contains normally banked limestone, which was formed by the deposition of limestone on the seabed in layers, areas that have no stratification. These are former reefs that have not been deposited but have grown. The lack of stratification makes these areas, although they have the same chemical composition, more resistant to weathering than the surrounding rock. The result is rocks that protrude over the valley slopes. These typical rocks, of which there are several here, often have overhangs, semi-caves and sometimes even real small caves. These were popular with prehistoric people as shelters. Those facing south were preferred because the sun shines in and warms the entrance area. The rocks kept out the cold north winds from the Scandinavian glaciers and also protected against rain. And because the caves were usually located slightly above the valley, they also offered a good view of the game migrating through the valley. Due to the colder climate, there was also no woodland to obstruct the view. The site was also interesting because the valley is actually quite wide to the north and south and only narrows here, forcing the game to pass right through.

Here near Veringenstadt there are six caves in one meander. In addition to the Göpfelsteinhöhle, there are the Große and Kleine Hagentorhöhle about 140 m to the west, the Annakapellenhöhle, the Mühlberghöhle and the Nikolaushöhle on the other side of the valley. The Nikolaushöhle is the only cave that is not located high up on the slope, but directly on the road “Bei der Lohmühle”. Originally used as a barn, it has since been converted into a kind of museum and is also known as the Zentrale Höhleninformation (Central Cave Information Center). Several signs provide information about the caves, the archaeological finds and the history of Veringenstadt. The cave has no gate and the exhibition is freely accessible. When visiting the caves, you should start here and allow about one to two hours. It is probably best to walk around the caves, as they are so close together that the tour is only about one kilometer long. For some years now, there has also been an official signposted cave tour. The official flyer can be requested from Veringenstadt town council, but unfortunately it is not available to download. Another highlight is the stone sculpture of a Neanderthal man on the bridge, which also refers to the prehistoric finds.